Display device



Jan. 5, 1960 D. J. GUILFORD 2,919,510

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dal/41.0 J. 601M080 W/W, viz/M D. J- GUILFORD DISPLAY DEVICE Jan. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1957 MIVEIVTOQ .DaA/nw J? Gull-F030 QTTOBIVA'YS invention is directed to improvements in display d evices,.,and' has for one of its objects theprovisioh of a display device which I believe to be newan'd. which. 1

,know possesses distinct advantages over prior display devicesiof which I am aware.

I"; More specifically, the invention provides'a novel display device wherein the objects beingdi'splayed are continuously recirculated from a receptacle,'to a dropping point elevated above the receptacle, from which latter point the objects again drop, in motion, into the receptacle. Also, my invention includes a novel. receptacle so designed and arranged as to give the visual impression of an abundant supply of the objects being displayed. For instance, one typical use of my display device is to display coins. in a mannerto attract the attention of observers to an advertising display and, in so doing,-it is possible to make a relatively small number of coins give I a me impression of constituting a-la-lz'ge and endlesssupply oficoim.

i Anotherflfeature of my invention resides inthe novel iconyeyor :means which I- employ for moving the objects being, displayed from thereceptacleelement to the point *ftom,which;.'they are dropped into the receptacle.

- TS'till another .feature of my invention is found in the F'novel/means which I employ to prevent clogging or "stoppage of. the. device and insuring uniform recirculation o'fithe objectsi being displayed-.- Additional and more 'subfordinate objectsv and. advantages will become apparent as "the Y ensuing descriptionproceeds.

For the purpose of explaining-.my invention, I shall now describe, in detail, a presently preferred emboditthereof, for which-purpose" Ijfshall refer tothe acmpanying' drawings wherein? 1 Fig. '1 isavertical sectionalview, partly in elevation, showing my improved display device;

Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

I wish it understood, however, except as it may appear from the appended claims, I do not limit the broader aspects of my invention to the details illustrated in the drawings. My invention, generally, comprises a hopper or receptacle 1, a dropping member or spout 2, a conveyor 3, a conveyor or article passing tube 4, an agitating member 5, a display object collecting and releasing member 6, a motor M and a housing 7.

The receptacle 1 comprises a conoidal hopper 15 having a cylindrical top wall portion 16 and a tubular neck 17. Mounted within the hopper portion 16, I provide a display or article distributing element 29 having a conoidal top wall 21', a cylindrical side wall 22, a fiat bottom wall 23 and a center wall 24 defining a tube providing a passageway. The display element is supported from the hopper by brackets 27 secured, as by welding, to the hopper and is maintained in spaced, concentric relation to the wall 16 of the hopper by spacer brackets 28, welded or otherwise secured to wall 16. Thus, an annular space 30 is provided between the cylindrical hopper portion 16 and the side wall 22 of the display element 20, through which space objects dropping on to the wall 21 of the display element may pass downwardly. I have shown coins C as being the particular objects displayed in the illustrated embodiment of my invention. The hopper neck 17 and the tube 4 together define a U-shaped article passing tube. 8

I To prevent the hopper from becoming clogged with objects being displayed, I provide the agitating member 5 which comprises a plurality (here shown as 4 in number) of agitating plungers 40 slidably mounted in guide sleeves 41 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the hopper. These plungers depend through crossed guide strips 42 and each has secured to its bottom end an inverted U-shaped' portion 44 between the opposite legs of which a roller 45 is rotatably carried by a spindle 46-. The rollers engage an annular cam member 48 carried by a wheel 50 whose hub is secured to a ball bearing member 51 whose inner race is secured, as by welding, to the tube 17. Coil springs 43' are mounted around the plungers between members 42 and plunger portions 44. The wheel 50 is driven by a V belt 52 from a pulley 53 which is secured onto the top end of a vertical shaft 55 journaled in a bracket 56. The shaft is driven by beveled gears 57, 58, the latter'of which is secured on a shaft 60 also journaled in the bracket 56 and whose outer end carries a pulley 61 driven by a belt 62 from the motor M.

The display object collecting and metering member 6 consists of rods 70, 71 slidably mounted in guide sleeves 72' secured, as by welding, to the neck tube 17. Around each of the rods 70, 71 I mount a coil spring 75 which bears at one end against the outer end of the guide sleeve and bears at' its other end against the angled outer end of the rod. A wheel 77 is secured on a shaft 78 journaled in a bracket 79 secured to the neck tube 17 Rotation of the cam member 48 and reciprocation of the agitating plungers 40 impart enough vibration to tube portion 17 to cause the objects from the hopper to properlyiposition themselves on the collecting rods 70, 71:. The speed of operation of the collector rods determines the quantity of objects collected and dropped during each cycle and thus functions to meter the number of objects passed through the machine in a given time.

An oscillatable arm 81 is secured on the shaft 78 and a link 82, pivoted at one end to the wheel 77 and pivoted at" its other end to. the wheel 61, oscillates the wheel 77 approximately a "quarter revolution in response to each revolution of the wheel 61 causing the arm to oscillate. Thus the rods 70, 71 alternately move inwardly and outwardly through the side wall of the neck tube 17. When rod 70 is in its inward position (Fig. 1), the objects C passing down the neck 17 from the hopper will collect on the top of the rod, and as the rod 71 moves inwardly, the rod 70 moves outwardly releasing the objects to drop onto the rod 71. Then, When the rod 71 moves outwardly, the objects are released to drop downwardly to be picked up by the conveyor mechanism.

The housing 7 has a horizontal front portion 73 through an opening in which the hopper fits. Brackets 73a welded to the hopper engage the top surface of portion 73.

The link conveyor belt 84, driven by a toothed wheel 76 secured on the motor shaft 76a, passes over an idler wheel 85 carried by a spindle 86 journaled in a bracket 87 secured to the base portion 88 of the housing, and passes about a top idler wheel 89 mounted on a spindle 90 journaled at its ends in the housing 7. While I show a link conveyor belt 84, any suitable type of conveyor belt may be used.

The conveyor belt moves within a U-shaped belt housing (Fig. 4), and certain of the longitudinally spaced links of the belt carry ears 96 which project into the conveyor. tube 4 through longitudinal slot 97 in the latter, and an object engaging paddle 100 is secured on each of the ears within the conveyor tube.

Each object engaging paddle 100 is shown as somewhat V-shaped and a like shaped aperture 101 is provided through the tube 4 at its curved intersection with the tubular neck 17 of a size to freely pass the paddles and contiguous portion of its carrying car 96. The paddles and aperture are made of such shape so that objects of a diameter approximating the inner diameter of the tube will not pass outwardly through the aperture as they pass around the curved intersection. Inasmuch as the right hand edge of each object is supported by rod 71 until the moment of disengagement, the opposite edge portion of the article will tilt downwardly before the right edge is released to facilitate the object passing around the curved intersection of the tube.

To positively prevent any backward movement of objects in the conveyor tube, I provide a spring loaded stop member 104 pivoted to a bracket 106 on the top of the tube so that, when engaged by a paddle 100 the stop member may swing to the right through an opening 107 in the tube. Its movement to the leftis limited by engagement with the left end of the opening 107.

The axis of rotation of the idler wheel 89 is close enough to the conveyor tube that as the conveyor belt passes around the periphery of that wheel, the paddles 100 will tilt to cause the objects C to fall off the paddles by gravity and become deposited in the spout 110 from which they drop into the receptacle element 1.

Also, it will be observed that the wheel 76 which drives the conveyor belt is so positioned that the teeth or cogs of the wheel pass along a slot 115 in the adjacent portion of the conveyor belt housing and engage the links of the conveyor to have further direct driving engagement with the belt in order to boost it around the curve or bend of the tube at that point.

I claim:

1. A device for recirculating and displaying a plurality of articles, comprising an article dropping member, an article receptacle below the plane of said dropping member, a U-shaped tube having a first upright leg connected at its top end with said receptacle, a second upright leg terminating at its top end at said dropping member, and a bottom leg connected at its ends with the bottom ends of said upright legs, said tube having an opening at the intersection of said first upright leg and said bottom leg, and said bottom leg and said second upright leg having a longitudinal slot extending from said opening to the top end of said second upright leg, article engaging members disposed for movement in and along said tube from said opening to the top end of said sec ond upright leg, a continuous belt, belt supporting means supporting said belt outside said tube for movement parallel with and contiguous to said bottom leg and said second upright leg, means extending through said slot and securing said article-engaging members to said belt at points spaced apart longitudinally of the latter, whereby movement of said belt moves said article-engaging mernbers into said tube through said opening and out of said tube at the top end of said second upright leg to cause said article-engaging members to convey articles along said tube to the upper end of said second upright leg, said belt supporting means including means for reversing the run of said belt adjacent said dropping member whereby to cause said articles to be deposited in said dropping member, and means for moving said belt.

2. The device of claim 1 which additionally includes a display member mounted in the open top end of said article receptacle in spaced relation to the side walls of the latter, said display member having a downwardly sloping top wall.

3. The device of claim 1 which additionally includes a belt guide of U-shaped cross section secured to the outer surface of said bottom leg and said second upright leg of said tube in covering relationship to said slot.

4. The device of claim 1 which additionally includes article metering means in said first upright leg of said tube.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said tube has inner dimensions substantially equal the major dimensions of said articles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,923 Linsley Aug. 13, 1907 939,710 King Nov. 9, 1909 945,685 Blakeslee Ian. 4, 1910 991,804 Schmidt May 9, 1911 1,103,952 Fisher July 21, 1914 1,227,825 Poole May 29, 1917 1,435,743 Salfisberg Nov. 14, 1922 1,550,803 Harbison Aug. 25, 1925 1,617,383 Fazio Feb. 15, 1927 1,955,654 Pratt Apr. 17, 1934 2,102,596 Kern Dec. 21, 1937 2,204,127 Domke June 11, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 431,447 France Sept. 12, 1911 890,676 France Nov. 8, 1943 905,628 France Apr. 23, 1945 

